About

Golden Ratio Coloring Book

AU$ 483,479

pledged of AU$ 27,000 goal

8,297

backers

Rafael Araujo is a Venezuelan architect and illustrator living in Caracas. For over 40 years he's been drawing the most beautiful illustrations of nature, entirely by hand. At an old drafting table he adeptly renders the mathematical brilliance of nature with just a pencil, compass, ruler and protractor.

Rafael can spend up to 100 hours on a single illustration

In the media

Rafael has been featured on CNN and in publications such as Wired and WWF's magazine. His illustrations have been shown at Stanford University and in major exhibitions and galleries around the world. More than 20,000 people follow his work at fb.com/rafaelaraujoart.

Rafael was a teenager when he first observed intelligent patterns in the work of nature and learned about Phi, the Golden Ratio. This ratio, represented by the Greek letter ϕ equals 1.618, and is commonplace in nature - from the hypnotic whorls of the chambered nautilus shell to the balanced proportions of butterfly wings.

Blue morpho butterfly sequence

Chambered nautilus shell

Butterfly infinite sequence

Fibonacci sequence shell

"Phyllotaxis" is the tendency in
nature for things to grow in spiral patterns. You may have observed that sea shells, plant leaves and branches grow in spirals where the ratio of the amount of turn from one branch to the next is precisely Phi.

Golden Ratio spiral

Rafael applies the Golden Ratio to his geometric formulas and leaves the construction lines intact to highlight this natural mathematical framework. Not surprisingly, it can take him up to 100 hours to create a single composition.

Fibonacci sequence shell

The Project

Recently, many followers of Rafael's work have been asking him for prints to color. From this came the idea to create a beautiful coloring book with renditions of his best illustrations. Rafael has been working on this project since late-2015 with a Sydney-based team:

Melinda & Andres Restrepo

We had been following Rafael's work for years, and like many of you, we looked forward to the day a publisher would produce a book of his amazing illustrations. One day, we took the initiative, sent him an email ... and here we are! Working with Rafael has been a pleasure and the book is finally ready to go to press.

Preview

Golden Ratio Coloring Book front cover

Golden Ratio Coloring Book back cover

Chambered nautilus shell

Mirrored butterfly sequence

Golden sequence

Golden grid

Fibonacci icosahedron

Colored example

Alhambra tiles

We believe this book is special. Not only for Rafael's wonderful illustrations but because it will enable all of us, regardless of our age, to disconnect from the distractions and hectic pace of our modern lives and reconnect with the calm deep within ourselves and the awesome wonder of the natural world around us.

Suitable for drawing with almost any coloring medium: pencil, crayon, gel pens, ink, marker, pastels, water color, and gouache.

Budget

Kickstarter adds together reward production costs with shipping costs. Therefore, although we need AUD$11,244 (±USD$8500) to produce the book and rewards, we need to account for another AUD$11,430 (±USD$8700) for order fulfilment. This raises our funding goal to a total AUD$27,000 (±USD$21,000) which also allows for 5% Kickstarter fee, 5% payment processing fee, and 5% contingency.

Timeline

Rewards

The Original

"Entirely hand drawn, the chambered nautilus shell illustration is a fusion of art and science. This composition is constructed using a golden ratio spiral as the point of origin, and calculated using strict procedures of three dimensional geometry. The final colors and shades add strength to the image, emphasizing the volumetry of our subject."

Rafael Araujo

You receive the original Chambered Nautilus Shell by Rafael Araujo.

Hand drawn on cotton canvas by Rafael Araujo using only a pencil, compass, ruler and protractor and painted with acrylic.

Valued at AUD$10,000 (±USD$7500) but offered here at AUD$8,000 (±USD$6100) due to Kickstarter reward value restrictions.

Size: 150 cm high x 125 cm wide.

The Print

You receive a print of the Chambered Nautilus Shell, SIGNED BY RAFAEL.

Printed on premium cotton canvas using pigment inks with light fastness ratings of over 200 years.

Numbered, limited, collectible edition of only 100 prints, each with its own certificate of authenticity.

Size: 100 cm high x 80 cm wide.

Credits

Graphic DesignTea Filipibetiobca@gmx.com

Video ProductionAlex Moreaninfo@auralmotion.com

Thank you!

Risks and challenges

We've made 5 prototypes of the book to make sure the printing, binding, and covers turn out to specifications. We'll have the first edition produced by a leading printing house and the process will be personally supervised by our team. The books will be shipped to a third party logistics company that will manage global logistics. We've built enough buffer into our timeline to allow for delays and deliver on time. However, if we have an unexpected challenge, and we’re running behind schedule, you'll be the first to know.

Pledge AU$ 500 or more
About $364

You receive a collectable print of Rafael Araujo's Chambered Nautilus illustration featured in this Kickstarter, a collectable first edition copy of Rafael Araujo’s Golden Ratio Coloring Book, both SIGNED BY RAFAEL, and a pdf with all drawings featured in the book so you can print them out and practice.

Pledge AU$ 8,000 or more
About $5,820

You receive the original hand drawn illustration of Rafael Araujo's Chambered Nautilus Shell featured in this Kickstarter, a collectable first edition copy of Rafael Araujo’s Golden Ratio Coloring Book SIGNED BY RAFAEL, and a pdf with all drawings featured in the book so you can print them out and practice.